Yahoo News The best masterclasses, festivals and retreats that are 2 hours from London
London's legion of hard-working, finely tuned high-achievers require more than just sun, sea and sand to steady their overheating systems. We need edification to soothe the soul, and holidays are an opportunity for masterclasses, fitness retreats and voyages of self-discovery, without setting foot on a plane or train.
Whisper it, but life exists outside London. In the summer at least. Beyond the M25 the UK’s green and pleasant land, seaside towns and villages hum with activities to fill your weekends, all within easy commuting distance of the Big Smoke.
The post-Brexit staycation is also on the rise, as the weak pound and falling confidence makes Blighty seem alrighty. Already, there has been a
23.8 per cent year-on-year rise in British people planning holidays in the UK this summer, according to analysis by travel marketing group Sojern.
City slickers have their ears firmly pressed to the ground for hotspots outside the town walls. Winter isn’t here just yet, despite Game of Thrones, so get out there and enjoy the sunshine while you still can.
Become a master chef
Hone your culinary skills in the walled garden of a Grade I-listed country house in the Suffolk countryside at the Novikov Summer Garden Masterclass. Pick your own fruit, vegetables and herbs in the two-acre plot before a three-hour tutorial from the chefs of Mayfair’s Asian/Italian restaurant Novikov. Enjoy the fruits of your labour at an informal lunch with paired wine.
£100, tomorrow, Brent Eleigh Hall, Suffolk, novikovrestaurant.co.uk
Wild Cocktails masterclass
Mix it with the best of them at the River Cottage Festival in Axminster, where forager John Wright will squeeze his secrets from the hedgerows for a seriously different take on sloe gin (he serves it smoked), cocktails made with grass or lichen and a superb Pink Pint, which will all, of course, be shared.
£20, August 26-27, rivercottage.net
Pump Street Bakery chocolate room tour
Immerse yourself in a chocolate tour at Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, nestled in the bays of the Heritage Coast. At Pump Street Chocolate they roast, conch and temper the very best, directly sourced cocoa beans to make their own single-origin chocolate — which sounds delicious, and tastes even better. Enjoy it all by the seaside.
£15, September 29, pumpstreetbakery.com
Clay pigeon shooting and a murder mystery
There are sure to be shots fired at Wilderness Reserve’s Sibton Park in Suffolk, where clay pigeon shooting is the order of the day in the estate’s 5,000 rolling acres. At night, indulge in a candlelit whodunit as you dig into a murder mystery (and a delicious dinner) set up by the Wilderness team’s acting troupe, taking you back to Hollywood, 1949. Colonel Mustard sits this one out.
Creative weekender
Combine a weekend by the sea with a chance to make a masterpiece. Tate St Ives and the St Ives School of Painting host regular weekends where you can work in a studio overlooking Porthmeor beach and then spend the evening discussing art over a barbecue.
£165, Porthmeor Studios, St Ives, schoolofpainting.co.uk
Krug Festival — into the wild
Argentinian chef Francis Mallmann headlines an evening of open-fire cooking at The Grange, an 18th-century heritage site by a lake in Hampshire. He is known for his dramatic cooking — think 10ft fires — and will roast and char the finest produce, pairing each dish with Krug champagnes. There will be music and, as befits an event put on by a champagne brand, plenty of fizz.
£395, July 29, krugfestival.com
Kayak on the River Hamble
Find your balance paddleboarding on the Hamble Estuary. You can also kayak. Take a leisurely tour down the two lovely creeks passing yachts and wildlife, and take a break at one of the riverside pubs.
Man Overboard Club, Crableck Lane, Sarisbury, near Southampton, manoverboard.club
Woodwork in Sussex
Make a chair, stool or something more elaborate at a five-day course in lovely Lewes. Courses are suitable for everyone and you can camp in the woods.
£325 including all tools and materials, Green Shutters, Kingston Ridge, sussexgreenwoodworking.co.uk
Trill yoga retreat
London teacher Tania Brown escapes to Lyme Regis for the summer for these restorative breaks. The day starts with traditional cleansing, breakfast and a walk before dynamic yoga in the woods. There’s also massage, foraging and meditation. Meals are cooked by a River Cottage chef and if you don’t want a full detox there is organic wine.
From £350, Trill Farm, Pudleylake Road, Axminster, trillfarm.co.uk
Smoke Without Fire: Master the Barbecue
Turn up the heat at blissful Daylesford Farm in the Cotswolds. Tame the fiercest grill and master fillet steaks, fish, vegetables and even puddings, with a range of
fail-safe techniques which mean you can actually try this at home. The farm and its cottages are a regular haunt of A-listers Kate Moss and Liz Hurley, so relax, you’re in good hands here. To really pamper yourself, treat yourself at the Bamford Haybarn Spa, then enjoy an evening at The Old Spot, a new restaurant, which is hosting a summer of live music evenings.
£185, today, daylesford.com
Aespia
An intense art-based escape that only lasts 24 hours and is shrouded in secrecy. You get a designated meeting point and are whisked off on a coach to a secret woodland. Phones are left on the coach and there are five different zones where spontaneity is encouraged.
From £40, August 19-20, aespia.com
Brighton Pride
For protests, parades and pooches (at the dog show), head to Brighton Pride. The LGBT festival is headlined by the mighty Pet Shop Boys this year. Expect glitter, fish and chips, and plenty of mermaid tails.
Free, August 4-6, brighton-pride.org
Hauser & Wirth Somerset
Idle away the hours at the Somerset outpost of international gallery Hauser & Wirth. Go on a weekend for Summer Sundays, where there will be performances and cream teas. This week there’s folk duo The Drystones and on August 27 Josephine & The Artizans are performing. On August 23 photographer Matilda Temperley will be talking about her work. Current exhibitions include New York artist Mike Glier and Rashid Johnson.
Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, hauserwirthsomerset.com
Wilderness Festival
Lose yourself at the four-day music festival that features more than just banging tunes (Grace Jones is headlining). Wilderness is known as much for its activities: there’s yoga, cricket, quizzes and even celebrity chefs — Yotam Ottolenghi is among the chefs this year. Plus, it all happens in the idyllic Cornbury Park in the Cotswolds.
Aug 3-6, wildernessfestival.com
Richard Long at Houghton Hall
The Turner Prize-winning artist has an inspiring exhibition at Norfolk’s stately home, Houghton Hall. The show, titled EARTH SKY, is his largest since a retrospective at the Tate in 2009. Walk around his impressively vast sculptures and explore the main house.
£18, every weekend and selected weekdays until October 26, King’s Lynn, houghtonhall.com
Shuck on this
Learn how to shuck an oyster at the Whitstable Oyster Festival. There will be live music, seafood at the Oyster Food Fair’s walking banquet and an oyster eating competition.
Tomorrow to Monday, Tankerton Slopes, Whitstable, whitstableoysterfestival.co.uk
Joust and garden at a castle
Jousting is set to be an Olympic sport, if English Heritage gets its way, so go hell for leather at Hever Castle and Gardens with their tutorials, or take an RHS-accredited horticulture course at this double-moated castle that was Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. The award-winning gardens are set in 125 acres of glorious grounds, host to a water maze, yew maze, boating lake and miniature model houses.
From £13.40, Hever, Edenbridge, hevercastle.co.uk
Battle Proms picnic concert at Blenheim Palace
If you didn’t get tickets for London’s Proms in the Park, escape the city for an evening and enjoy an open-air picnic concert in the stunning grounds of Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace. The informal show will feature live music, choreographed air displays, canon fire, cavalry displays and fireworks.
£38, tomorrow, Woodstock, battleproms.com
Jane Austen exhibition
Mark the 200th anniversary of the author’s death by visiting Hampshire, the county that provided inspiration for her novels. The Mysterious Miss Austen exhibition at Winchester Discovery Centre explores the author’s life, and runs until Monday. You can also visit the 17th-century house in nearby Chawton, where she spent the last eight years of her life.
Free, open all weekend, Jewry Street, Winchester, janeausten200.co.uk
Vineyards of Hampshire 5th Annual Wine Festival
Try a range of sparkling and still wines from eight Hampshire vineyards at the county’s fifth annual sparkling wine festival. Guests can take part in three different pairing and tasting workshops. Entry includes an engraved tasting glass and programme.
£10-£15, Sunday, Cottonworth Vineyards, Andover, vineyardsofhampshire.co.uk
Cogges Beer & Cider Festival
If you prefer lager, head to Witney in Oxfordshire for Cogges Beer & Cider Festival for a weekend of drinks, live music, Morris dancing and food. There will be more than 30 local beers and ciders and entry includes a programme, souvenir tankard and a free half-pint.
From £8, today and tomorrow, Cogges Manor Farm, Witney, cogges.org.uk
The Wiltshire Ceramic Studio
London’s pottery classes are all booked up so the smart thing is to look further afield. The Wiltshire Ceramic Studio is a friendly space to introduce beginners to pottery. The bucolic farm offers two hour-and-a-half classes a month — the next is on July 29 — and the price includes all tuition, materials and firings for a small group of four in each session. No experience necessary. Chippenham station is a 15-minute drive away.
£35 per class, Wiltshire Ceramic Studio, Stockham Marsh Farm, Foxham, wiltshireceramicstudio.co.uk
Follow Sam Fishwick on Twitter: @Fish_o_wick
Follow Katie Strick on Twitter: @KatieStrick
